UW–River Falls to host NCAA football playoff

For the first time in program history, UW–River Falls hosted an NCAA playoff game, marking the Falcons’ first postseason appearance since 1996. The Facing Chapman University in snowy conditions, UWRF dominated with a 58–7 victory.

The win improved the Falcons’ record to 10-1, setting a new school mark for most wins in a season.

During the post-game interview, head coach Matt Walker praised his team’s resilience.

“Hard to run the football against this group,” Walker said. “We’re a dangerous football team. We can score fast even in conditions like this.”

Quarterback Kaleb Blaha has been central to the team’s success after returning from injury. Walker described his comeback as “a winning lottery ticket.”

When asked whether Blaha envisioned the team making it this far, he reflected on the program’s growth.

“The past couple of years, we’ve been so close to making it happen and I knew that we were close to getting over that hump,” he said. “I wanted to be part of that when that happened. I didn’t see the season going how it is now. Every player at every position has been playing incredible.”

Blaha now holds the school record for completed passes in a season with 304, surpassing Kole Hinrichsen’s 290 in 2021. He also matched Hinrichsen’s single-season record of 28 passing touchdowns. Blaha was named WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, the first UWRF quarterback to earn the honor.

Defensive leader Gage Timm was recognized as WIAC Defensive Player of the Year.

“It’s easy when you have the best defensive player in the country to be under his wing,” said sophomore teammate Noah Nusbaum.

The Falcons capped a historic regular season by winning their first conference title since 1998. After losing to UW–Oshkosh in October, they won six straight, including victories over UW–Whitewater and UW–La Crosse — programs they hadn’t beaten since 2001 and 2015, respectively.

The team earned multiple WIAC honors: Walker was named Coach of the Year, Taylor Sussner was Newcomer of the Year, and 14 Falcons received All-Conference awards. Senior kicker Justin Scheberl ranks seventh nationally with an 85.7 field goal percentage and eighth with 1.2 field goals per game.

UWRF led the WIAC in nearly every major category, including scoring, total offense, rushing and passing yards, first downs, third-down conversions, defensive touchdowns, blocked kicks, fumble recoveries and turnovers gained.